Player moves to non‑league football after facing Messi and Ronaldo

Forestieri, now playing non‑league football after returning to England following the birth of his third son, Luciano, continues his career despite a long professional journey.

The report says he faced Barcelona, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic while at Malaga in Spain's top division during the 2009‑10 season, and was on the pitch opposite Cristiano Ronaldo five years ago when Juventus met his Udinese side in Serie A. His résumé also includes scoring against Inter Milan for Siena in 2008.

Forestieri said: "You never forget being on the same pitch as these big players," and added: "Messi, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic... unbelievable skills." He also remarked: "I'm very lucky. Being that close to them you remember their first touch, their vision." He grew up playing football on the streets of Rosario, the same Argentine city where Messi was born, and idolised Diego Maradona.

When Maradona died in 2020, Forestieri wrote a tribute on the back of his Udinese shirt. He said: "Growing up in Argentina, everyone pretended to be Diego," and added: "He was a hero to everyone. On every corner of every street someone painted his face on a wall."

Speaking of his upbringing, Forestieri said: "I was born poor, born with nothing. I lived with my mum and dad and two brothers. The five of us slept in one room." He revealed that his brother Maximiliano was shot and wounded in Rosario but survived. He was part of the academies of Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors, moved to Italy at 16, made his senior debut for Genoa, qualified for Italy through his grandfather and represented the Azzurri at youth level. After recent spells in Malaysia and Cyprus, he remains active in non‑league football.